Creating a New Guatemala: The 1952 Agrarian Reform Law

by Harbour, Tiffany Kwader

In 1952, Guatemala enacted the Agrarian Reform Law Decree 900. The Decree became an instrument for national development through land redistribution and the development of agrarian rights. Although the law was only upheld for eighteen months, the Decree influenced land and labor legislation through today. Struggles for agrarian rights continued throughout the military dictatorship and civil war which plagued Guatemala until the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords. Ideals for land reform originating in the 1952 law continue to have a pervasive influence on the Guatemalan land reform movement. This study is further contextualized and framed with quotes and analysis from José Luis Paredes Moreira?€™s investigation of Decree 900 and its impact in Guatemala. The second section of this project includes an original translation of Decree 900.